One month later
"Happy Birthday!" I shouted at the top of my lungs. It was four am on February 11th, Taylor's birthday. Boy, did I have a surprise for him! I was too excited to sleep last night, hence my early morning wake up. I launched myself atop his body, straddling him as he struggled to open his eyes, a groggy grin playing on his perfect lips. I set a professionally baked two layer cake on his chest that read Happy 22nd Birthday Taylor. It was covered in baby blue fondant and written in chocolate brown frosting with a little werewolf on top. I thought it was the cutest thing I had ever seen.
"Thanks honey," He mumbled, eyes still closed.
"Don't you want to come see your gift?" I insisted, prying at his fingers that tried to cover up his eyes.
"Can it wait a couple more hours?" he moaned, squeezing his eyes shut harder.
"No," I replied excitedly. "It can't wait another second because our flight leaves in approximately two hours!"
"Whaaaa?" he asked confusedly.
"Come on, silly, we've got to get moving," I stood up and began prying the blanket off his body. I was fully dressed; I just had to get him dressed and presentable for our 20 hour flight.
"But where are we even going?!" he exasperated.
"That's a surprise," I told him with a wide grin. I pecked his lips once and sighed in relief when he finally stopped struggling and allowed me to get us ready for our trip.
A couple hours later, we were seated comfortably in our first class seats, preparing for takeoff. Taylor was a little bit more awake than he was at the house, and that I was glad for. I snuggled in closer to his chest and got carried away in the warmth and comfort that surrounded us as we glided into the air. I guess he wasn't coherent enough to ask any questions at this moment, but I'm not sure if I could properly answer them either. The sleep deprivation began to settle in, and soon enough we fell asleep again, locked in each other's embrace.
"Happy Birthday," I said again several hours later.
Taylor didn't say anything, just crushed his lips down on mine fiercely. I responded instinctively, turning in my seat a bit.
"I'm glad to see you're awake now. And coherent," I mumbled against his soft perfect lips. He chuckled and tucked a piece of hair behind my ear.
"Yes. Now I can finally get some answers!"
"Not so fast," I reminded him. "The only hint you have is that we will be in the air for another fifteen hours or so," I replied smugly. I'm so proud of myself for keeping a secret as big as this one.
"Fine," he grunted. "I'll find out sooner or later."
"Maybe," I teased, playfully sticking my tongue out.
"This is extremely cute of you, coming up with big plans for my birthday," he says mockingly, poking me in the stomach.
"I know you're gonna love it," I said.
"I'm sure I'll love anything. Just because I knew it came from you."
"Awww," I said out loud instead of in my head. He chuckled.
"But seriously, Rach. I would've been happy with a couple pizzas and a movie," he admitted. I looked unconvincingly at him.
"Did you honestly believe that I wasn't going to go all out for this major event?" I asked him incredulously, remembering all the extravagant things he's ever done for me without being asked.
"A guy can dream," he replied with a shrug. I giggled shortly. "But seriously, how did you pull all this off?"
"It just took some planning, begging your movie director for several weeks and I eventually came up with a powerpoint presentation with reasons why he should let me take you on vacation for your birthday," I paused as Taylor's eyes bugged out. "Trust me, it wasn't as hard as it sounds."
He burst out laughing, holding his sides as he erupted into loud guffaws. "You're the best," he said in between fits of laughter.
"I know," I joked. He put his arms back around me, resting his cheek against my head. My stomach was literally churning from excitement as the plane ride wore on. I couldn't wait to see his reaction when we finally got there and I really hoped he liked it as much as I thought he would.
"So did you...pack my things ahead of time?" he asked with a sexy smirk playing at his lips.
"I asked your stylist to help me with it. She and I think you'll be very pleased with your wardrobe for the trip," I smiled brightly.
"Wow," he replied, shaking his head almost imperceptibly. "And my family was okay with you just whisking me away for my birthday?"
"They actually encouraged me to take you. They claimed you needed some 'time to unwind' and you could use 'some fun.' It all worked out extremely well. But they are aware of time difference and I promised that we'd skype them at least once and take lots of pictures for your mom. I'm going to help her scrapbook it when we get back."
"You're incredible," he breathed, eyes on me intently. I just giggled nervously and tried to fight off my blush.
"Thank you," I replied gently, returning his loving gaze.
"I love you," we said at the same time. We both laughed and shared a tender kiss before relaxing back in each other's arms.
"So how's your birthday going so far?" I asked after we had pizza and slices of his perfect cake for lunch and watched The Hangover Part III.
"Well, considering that I have everything I could ever want right here in my arms," he started, tightening them around me some more, "It couldn't be any more perfect."
I turned my head and kissed him without even thinking about it. He deepened the kiss and I eventually ended up on his lap. The heat and intensity made everything a blur. A couple movies later and we were still in the air, that much closer to the destination that I couldn't wait to step foot on.
"So can I have one more hint?" he asked me.
"Sure," I said easily. "I know where we are going and you do not."
"Ha ha," he said dryly. I just laughed at him.
"You should be glad that I decided not to blindfold you the entire time!" I threatened.
"I am very glad you decided not to do that. Now I get to see your gorgeous eyes all I want," he said, kissing my cheek. I melted a little bit inside and continued to lose myself in his warm embrace. I'll never know how I ended up so lucky to have this wonderful person as my own, but I am beyond ecstatic to have him.
8 hours later
I felt his cool fingers gently glide around my own and pulled him closer to me, wrapping my arm around his waist. We stood out on the balcony, facing the beautiful waters of The Gold Coast in Queensland, Australia. It was honestly breathtaking; I was truly speechless. The brochures and the pictures online did not do this place justice.
Our beachfront hotel room was enough to permanently stun me. I had to remember how to breathe several times when we first arrived here. It was just so beautiful, and everything else was just so perfect. My heart fluttered wildly and nearly flew out of my chest when I felt his hand softly caressing my cheek. I closed my eyes, trying to mitigate my embarrassment as my blush came through against my will. I opened my eyes to find him staring intently into my eyes. I exhaled, a little too loudly to be intimate. He released a light chuckle.
"What's wrong, sweetheart?" he asked tenderly, still stroking my face with a feather light touch.
"Nothing. It's just so..." I broke his steady gaze for a second to look out to the water again before meeting his beautiful brown eyes, "beautiful and perfect here." I closed my eyes again as his hand cupped my face.
"You're beautiful and perfect," he responded quietly after a moment. My breath caught in my throat, and I leaned into his touch. I brought my arms around his neck as one of his went around my waist, the other still holding my face. "Thank you so much for this extraordinary birthday gift. It is literally the best I have ever gotten. Thank you so much."
"A girl could get used to this," I said into his broad shoulder. He laughed gently, swaying our bodies back and forth to the sound of the waves crashing against the building below.
"I want you to get used to this, because I can't think of any other girl who deserves this more than you do," he whispered into my hair. "You deserve to be treated like a Queen. My Queen." I nearly fell limp in his arms. The only thing that kept me from doing so was the light sea spray touching my exposed skin. "You're the best thing that's ever happened to me, Rachel."
"Do you really mean that?" I asked him in a small voice.
"Every word," he sincerely said. I relished in the sound of his voice, the feel of his body against mine and became overwhelmed with feelings that built up in my gut, and washed out over my entire body, clouding my mind. I unwrapped our arms from around each other and took his hand, leading him back inside the spacious and luxurious hotel room.
We spent the rest of Taylor's actual day of birth tangled up in the sheets of our massive, ornate, beach-facing bed. Waking up like that was literally something from a dream that I never imagined would come true. But I'm learning that with Taylor, anything is possible.
"Good Morning, beautiful," he whispered to me.
"Happy Birthday," I said, trying to let him savor in the moments. He chuckled and drew me in for a kiss.
"With the time difference over here, my birthday actually ended the day before yesterday technically."
I knew this, but I couldn't help it. I would've flew him out here earlier, but I felt like that would've been too big a hint and he would've known immediately where we were headed. "You know what I mean," I said stubbornly, kissing him again.
"I know," he replied softly. "Thank you, baby."
"We better get going," I smiled brightly. "I've got lots of things planned for us to do today."
After lounging around a bit and getting dressed, we headed into the bustling beach town to grab breakfast at a café. The Australian people are just generally so beautiful and friendly. I immediately fell in love with this country the moment we arrived. And the scenery is honestly breathtaking. I thought California was beautiful, but I didn't know what true beauty was until we arrived here. I feel like our scheduled ten days here won't be enough to fully appreciate all of what The Gold Coast has to offer us. Also, I wondered if it was possible to pick up the incredible accent before we went back home...
"What's on the agenda?" Taylor asked while sipping his orange juice. We were seated at a beachfront café, looking directly out onto the beautiful, clear blue ocean. Stunning.
"Today, we're learning how to surf," I said with a smirk.
"You know, that's actually a challenging physical activity," he teased, raising one eyebrow. Living with Taylor Lautner will prepare you for anything challenging.
"I know that," I replied, unfazed. "But are you ready to catch some waves?"
He looked at me levelly. "I was born ready."
"Great. But we have to wait thirty minutes after eating before we get in the water," I warned him.
He burst out into loud guffaws, causing a few heads to turn in our direction. I giggled with him for a short while, smiling incredulously.
"I love you," he said suddenly, still smiling widely.
I surprised myself by blushing profusely. My stomach twisted in knots and my hands got kind of clammy. My throat was thick as I smiled tentatively. "I love you too, Taylor."
"Okay," said the smooth, accented voice of our surfing instructor. "You're just gonna start with a paddle, and let your body get a feel for being on the board."
Taylor and I were side by side, the water was an astonishing crystal blue color, and the sun beat down on us like there was no tomorrow. The cool water was the perfect antidote though. It felt nice against my skin and face. We hadn't even really started yet and I was already having the time of my life. I could tell Taylor was, too. His grin stretched miles wide.
When we started to actually surf, I fell down. A lot. Both the guys laughed at me and I kept shaking it off. I was determined to walk away from here knowing how to surf, so no matter how many times they kept urging me to take it easy, I never paid attention to it. But Taylor wasn't lying; this is an extremely difficult sport and now I understand why surfers have such perfect bodies. All my muscles were crying out for me to stop, but I had to keep going.
"Taylor, you're a natural at this," the instructor called out over the waves. And sure enough Taylor had stood up AND maintained his balance for quite some time now.
"He's good at everything," I mumbled under my breath. I may not be a natural, but I'm not giving up.
After several more attempted fails, something took over me. I don't know if it was being in the sun for too long, or being on the cusp of giving up, but I actually did stand up on my board and ride a wave!
"Good job, Rachel," the director and Taylor called out to me at the same time. They were both sitting casually on their boards and smiled widely at me, clapping and everything. I felt the urge to bow, but I knew I'd lose my balance and end up toppling over. The feeling of surfing is exhilarating. Especially after my not so hot start.
"This is so much fun!" I screamed. And that's when I fell over. I could make out Taylor and the instructor's laughs as I went under. The cool water felt like a miracle against my slightly over heated skin.
"I'm proud of you, baby," Taylor said, swimming over to me to snake an arm around my waist. He kissed me briefly.
"Thanks," I mumbled against his slightly salty lips.
"Okay guys," The instructor said. We separated, but only a little bit. His hold around me was still firm under the water. "Your two hours is nearly up, so did you want to purchase another session or end it for today? I think you guys both did terrific jobs."
"I don't think my body can handle any more," Taylor answered, wincing.
"I am SO glad you said that!" I exclaimed. "My body had been sore since the minute we started!"
We all laughed and shook our heads as we gathered our boards and walked back to the shore.
After Taylor and I got dressed, we continued to walk along the water's edge, hand in hand. He kept staring at me, to the point where I got self-conscious.
"What?" I asked, smiling nervously. "What are you thinking about?"
"Just how this birthday gift can't get any better."
I blushed and hid my face.
"You're so cute when you blush!" he laughed excitedly and picked me up, putting me over his shoulder.
"Taylor!" I screamed. "Stop it!"
"No until you admit you're cute when you blush!"
"I'm cute!" I said quickly.
"What was that?" he teased, still spinning me around.
"I'm cute when I blush!"
He took his sweet time putting me down, and when he did he kissed me hard. I didn't care that people were gawking at us foreigners, making out on their homeland. I threw my arms around this guy and kissed him back with all my might because I love him more than the world itself.
"I'm exhausted!" I said after we finally got back to our hotel room. I threw my body on the ground, Taylor following suit.
"I should've known this would happen if you planned everything," he teased, giggling.
"Shut up," I groaned. We did so much today! We visited and walked around three entire national wildlife parks. They were breathtakingly gorgeous and I love it, but the heat was really getting to us. We probably went through two gallons of water each.
"You're getting so tan," he whispered, touching my skin where my tank top strap had fallen. I could see the difference and I wasn't even really looking at it.
"So much for SPF 30," I mumbled.
After the parks, we went back down to the beach and rode every single ride on the pier. Which I have no idea why I did that when I nearly vomited in his lap. Twice. Besides all that, it was a blast.
And finally after the pier, we realized we had skipped lunch and were starving, so we pretty much ran to the nearest restaurant and ordered two appetizers, two entrees, and two desserts which we split. All the food seemed to really take a toll on us, because we couldn't even keep our eyes open on the ride home.
"Let's get you to bed, sweetheart," Taylor cooed while cradling me to his chest. He changed my clothes for me and tucked me into the warm and cozy bed. I had no clue as to when he joined me, because I was well under a few seconds later.
Three fun-filled days later
My eyes fluttered open effortlessly to the smell of delicious breakfast.
What?
I thought we had agreed to try out a new restaurant for breakfast today. We both agreed on that last night, so why did he cook?
The first thing I did was stand up and stretch in silence, since I didn't have the luxury of waking up next to my love this morning. I went into the bathroom to wash my face, brush my teeth, and take my daily birth control pill. This was something that I'd been extremely faithful about since that pregnancy scare last month. Taylor and I felt much the same about the situation. We both wanted kids eventually, but we both have so much going on right now, and we have some growing up to do as well.
I would've accepted a bouncing baby with wide open arms, but then again I'm glad that we had the opportunity to realize that we are young, and we have all the time in the world to have children.
And also, we are very careful now.
Physical intimacy was something neither of us was willing to give up if we had options, so I agreed to taking the pill and so far, I've done it every day for a whole month. I think that's quite an accomplishment, and I'm glad we have this option. I think cutting sex out our lives would kill me. Taylor's even said the same thing before, more or less.
After I was presentable enough, I opened the bathroom door and went back through the bedroom to get to the hallway. Only I realized that I couldn't see past the mass collection of red, pink and purple balloons crowding the hallway.
I laughed aloud, trying to figure out how in the world he managed to do all this without me noticing it! I mean, I planned this trip down to the minute! How did he do this?
"Taylor!" I squeaked, walking through the mass of balloons to get to him. He didn't answer me. Building the suspense, I suppose. Well, it sure was working. "Happy Valentine's Day, love," I said, sounding really smitten.
"Happy Valentine's Day, baby," Taylor said from behind me. I have no idea how he did it through that monstrosity of balloons, but he managed to sneak up behind me and wrap his arms around my waist, whispering fervently in my ear.
I smiled widely, taking it all in. The table was set with a rich red tablecloth adorned with corresponding rose petals. There were five dozen roses in the center or the table, a note attached to the bunch in the center. Also on the table was a very large and extravagant feast. One that the two of us couldn't tackle in one day even if we tried.
"Somehow, I knew you would do this," I said between giggles. Our hotel room was a mess right now.
"Rachel. You know me well enough to know that I was not going to just do something simple for our first Valentine's day together!"
"I know! But we're on vacation for your birthday!"
"Which is even more reason for us to celebrate," he said with a smug smile. "I made breakfast for you. Your favorite," he said in a sing song voice.
"Wait, so I planned this entire trip, yet you still manage to surprise me?" I asked him incredulously.
"Yes," he answered, laughing. "It's my turn to take care of everything today. So be a good girl and don't fight it."
"You're impossible," I said, digging in. I wasn't going to pretend like I wasn't ravenous. My stomach felt like it was going to turn in on itself. "Happy Valentine's Day," I told him around a mouth full of pancake.
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HAHAHAHAHA this was one of my favorites! :)
Guys please don't hate me!
The first chapter of the new story is finally here, so we should be glad about that!!!!
However, I apologize for it taking so long.
I hope you liked it anyway!!!!
So she's NOT PREGGO!!! How are we feeling about that? :)
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Love you guys!! :)
